GB 46768-2025Technical specification of work safety in confined spaces (English PDF)

Foreword

This document was drafted in accordance with the rules given in GB/T 1.1-2020 Directives for standardization - Part 1: Rules for the structure and drafting of standardizing documents.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. The issuing body of this document shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document was proposed by and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China.

GB 46768-2025 was issued on 31 October 2025 by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China and comes into force on 1 May 2026. It carries no /T suffix: it is a mandatory national standard.

1 Scope

China's mandatory national standard for work carried out inside confined spaces: sewers, pump wells, cable tunnels, tanks, silos, pits, cellars and every other enclosed or partly enclosed space that was never designed as a permanent workplace but that people still have to enter. Such spaces kill in a particular way. Toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide build up unseen, oxygen is displaced, flammable vapour or dust collects, and the first worker who goes down is overcome, often followed by the colleagues who go in after him to help. The standard answers that pattern with a complete chain of control. It requires the operator to identify and register every confined space it manages and mark it with warnings and risk notice boards, to train and approve the people involved, to equip the job with gas detectors, ventilation, breathing apparatus and fall protection that meet the national product standards, and to plan and drill the emergency response. It then fixes what must happen before, during and after each job, and how compliance is demonstrated. It is written for the enterprises that own confined spaces, the contractors that work in them and the clients that let such work out, and it does not cover hazardous chemical, chemical and pharmaceutical enterprises or ships.

This document specifies the safety management requirements for work in confined spaces and the safety technical requirements before, during and after such work, and describes the corresponding methods of demonstrating compliance.

This document applies to work in confined spaces and its safety management.

This document does not apply to work in confined spaces, or its safety management, in enterprises producing or trading (with storage) hazardous chemicals, in chemical and pharmaceutical enterprises, or on ships.

2 Normative references

The contents of the following documents constitute indispensable provisions of this document through normative references in the text. For dated references, only the edition corresponding to that date applies to this document. For undated references, the latest edition (including all amendments) applies to this document.

GB 2811, GB/T 3836.1, GB 6095, GB 6220, GB 12358, GB 15577, GB 16556, GB 23394, GB 24543, GB/T 29639, GB/T 38228, GB 38451, GB 39800.1 and GBZ 2.1, with the titles listed in the normative references of this page.

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

3.1 confined space - a space that is enclosed or partly enclosed, is not designed as a fixed workplace, can be entered by people to work, and in which toxic and harmful or flammable and explosive substances readily accumulate or oxygen is readily insufficient.

3.2 working in confined space - work carried out by persons who enter a confined space.

3.3 entry - the head or the whole body of a person passing into a confined space.

3.4 operation unit - the unit that enters a confined space to carry out the work.

3.5 contract awarding unit - the unit that contracts out work in a confined space.

3.6 operation supervisor - the person who organises and directs the work in a confined space at the job site.

3.7 attendant - the person who watches over the work in a confined space from outside the space.

3.8 operator - the person who enters a confined space to carry out the work.

3.9 operation approver - the person responsible for approving work in a confined space.

4 Safety management

4.1 Management register. A unit that may have confined spaces shall identify the confined spaces within the areas it manages, establish a confined space management register and keep it up to date. The register shall include the name, location and main hazards of each confined space; an example is given in Annex A.

4.2 Warning signs. Clear safety warning signs shall be placed in conspicuous positions around the entrances and exits of confined spaces. Where several confined spaces are grouped together, a safety risk notice board for work in confined spaces shall be displayed in a prominent position at the site; an example is given in Annex B.

4.3 Safety management rules. The safety management rules of the operation unit shall define the duties of the operation approver, operation supervisor, attendant and operator, and cover safety training, work approval, the management of safety protection and emergency rescue equipment, and operating procedures for work in confined spaces. The rules of the contract awarding unit shall define the duties of its operation approver and site safety inspectors and cover safety training and contract management.

4.4 Safety training. The operation unit shall give dedicated safety training on work in confined spaces to its approvers, supervisors, attendants, operators and emergency rescue personnel, and the contract awarding unit to its approvers and site safety inspectors. The training shall be repeated at the minimum interval fixed in the standard, and only persons who pass the assessment may take part in the work. It shall cover the relevant laws, regulations and standards; accident cases; hazards and protective measures; management requirements; safe operating procedures; the correct use of protection and rescue equipment; and emergency response measures. Time, content, trainers, participants and assessment results shall be recorded truthfully and the sign-in sheets, handouts and images archived.

4.5 Provision of equipment and facilities. The operation unit shall provide safety protection and emergency rescue equipment for work in confined spaces and keep a register of it. Electrical equipment such as gas detectors, ventilation equipment, lighting and communication devices used where there is an explosion hazard shall comply with GB/T 3836.1; gas detection and alarm instruments shall comply with GB 12358 and have a detection range suited to the job. The standard sets the alarm settings of these instruments - a two-stage low and high alarm for oxygen, an alarm for combustible gases referred to their lower explosive limit, and alarms for toxic and harmful gases referred to the exposure limits of GBZ 2.1, with examples in Annex C - and requires the instruments to be verified or calibrated periodically and zero-checked in use. Personal protective equipment shall comply with the national standards for hose respirators, compressed air and compressed oxygen breathing apparatus, escape breathing apparatus, full-body harnesses, safety ropes and safety helmets; breathing apparatus cylinders shall be inspected periodically; and the rated voltage of lighting inside confined spaces is limited, with lower limits for metal structures and for wet environments. The operation unit shall assign personnel to purchase, maintain, inspect, verify, calibrate, scrap and replace the equipment so that it remains in good and effective condition.

4.6 Emergency plans and drills. The operation unit shall prepare a special emergency plan or an on-site response scheme for accidents in confined space work in accordance with GB/T 29639, and shall drill the special plan and the on-site scheme at the minimum frequencies laid down, evaluate each drill and archive the records and evaluation reports.

4.7 Management of contracted work. The contract awarding unit shall award confined space work only to operation units that meet the safe production conditions, review those conditions and keep the review record. The safety management agreement or contract shall set out the safety duties of each party both in normal work and in emergencies. The awarding unit shall coordinate and manage the contracted work, approve it, inspect the site and see that problems are corrected, and in the event of an accident shall coordinate the on-site emergency response.

5 Safety technical requirements before work

5.1 Risk assessment. Before the work, the operation unit shall assess the risks of the confined space environment and of the work process, analyse the possible hazards and propose measures to eliminate or control them. Where the work is contracted out, the contract awarding unit shall take part in the risk assessment or provide the necessary information.

5.2 Work approval. Before the work, the operation unit shall complete a work approval form; the work requires the consent of the operation supervisor and the approval of the operation approver, and for contracted work also the approval of the contract awarding unit's approver. The form shall be archived and shall include the name of the confined space, the operation unit, the work content and time, the personnel involved, the possible hazards, the main protective measures and the opinions and signatures of the supervisor and approver; an example is given in Annex D.

5.3 Safety briefing. The operation supervisor shall brief everyone taking part on the work content, the division of tasks, the possible hazards, the safety requirements and the emergency measures. The person giving and the persons receiving the briefing shall sign to confirm it, and the record shall be archived.

5.4 Closing off the work area and safety warnings. The work area shall be closed off, and a safety risk notice board for work in confined spaces shall be placed in a conspicuous position around the entrance and exit of the work area.